Working Class
by unfitpuzzle
Summary: A collection of one-shot's featuring NaruHina in the workforce; inspired by cup-of-hot-coffee's Job AUs on Tumblr. A collaboration with LovelyLori.
1. Chapter 1

**Prompt:** 'You're an employee and I have a crush on you so when you hand me the soft serve I accidentally grab it by the ice cream instead of the cone' AU

 **Authors:** unfitpuzzle (First Half/ Hinata)  & LovelyLori (Second Half/ Naruto). Lori and I (Kae) really hope you enjoy this chapter, it was really fun for both of us to write and really great working together!

 **Title:** Brain Freeze

 **Description:** Hinata's brain never worked when Naruto was around.

* * *

Hinata gnawed at her bottom lip desperately, an awful habit she developed over the years that would pop up when she was feeling distress. Clutching at the sleeves of her best friend Shino's jacket she all but held on for dear life as her other best friend Kiba was trying desperately to push her into the line to place their food order. Now this scene would look quite weird to the casual customer but those that were usual frequenters of the restaurant knew that this was a daily occurrence for the trio. They were currently at Uchi-Burger their favourite fast food place and like always Kiba was trying to get Hinata to go up to the cash register and face her "silly" fears.

"Kiba please no! I promise that if you stop you can order anything you want from the menu and I'll pay!" she pleaded now searching for anything to hold onto as Shino simply detached her hand from his jacket, walked away from the two and situated himself at an empty booth.

"No can do Hinata, you've been doing that for the past three months ever since _he_ started working cash and lately Coach Gai has been on my case about my rapid weight gain, even threatening to take me off the track team!" Kiba shuddered. "Trust me I'm not only doing this for you, but for me as well."

"Kibaaa" she whined, stomping her foot and pouting her lips. Not many knew this about her but coming from a wealthy family Hinata could sometimes be a brat, particularly when things didn't go her way.

"Hinataaaa" The brunette mocked her dragging her reluctant body towards the cash register. "It's simple. Just order the food and come back, _literally_ Hinata that's it."

Gathering up all the courage she could muster Hinata removed the childish pout from her face and stood a little straighter. She knew for certain that Kiba wouldn't let it go this time and by the looks of it Shino wanted absolutely nothing to do with the entire situation. She would have to be a big girl and face her fears.

Putting on a brave face the raven haired beauty strode towards the terrifying man behind the cash register: _Naruto Uzumaki_.

The whiskered blond was a student at her high-school who up until three months ago had been working in the back where she couldn't really see him- a safe distance. Now however he had been moved up to cash, most likely because of his people skills. Every time Kiba or Shino would go up to order something they came back with way more food than the three of them could eat combined, it was ridiculous.

Not that Hinata was afraid of his salesman ship skills… it was more like she was afraid of making a fool of herself in front of him. She along with Kiba and Shino had known him and a couple others since kindergarten, they lived in a relatively small community in the heart of Konoha and as far back as she could remember Hinata had always had a thing for Naruto.

He was just so admirable to her and everything she aspired to be. Brave, funny, outgoing and just the nicest person she'd ever met; before she knew it she was doodling 'Hinata Uzumaki' along the sides of her paper, even almost handing in a ten paged essay with the surname Uzumaki instead of Hyuuga to her philosophy teacher. Luckily Shino who had a great eye for detail and always proof read her work caught it before she embarrassed herself. After that incident however he blabbed off to Kiba and the two of them have bothered her about him ever since.

One look at Shino and one wouldn't expect him to be into gossip, but Hinata knew better, that guy (next to Ino of course) was the biggest blabbermouth she knew. He was just never allowed to finish his sentences before someone else's loud voice (usually Ino's, Sakura's or Naruto's) overpowered his.

 _'It's ok Hinata you can do this, you've got this.'_ She repeated that same phrase over and over in her head before she found herself staring into the bluest eyes she had ever seen. Gulping, she lifted a shaky finger and pointed dumbly towards the menu.

Laughing Naruto's shoulders shook in the most adorable way as his face broke into the utmost mesmerizing smile. "Hey Hinata! How may I take your order today?" he asked, the timber of his voice practically drawing Hinata in.

Resisting the urge to slap herself into reality Hinata just shook those improper thoughts from her mind. Feeling her face heat up she daintily brought a hand to her mouth masking the embarrassed smile from her face.

"T-three" She winced, a stutter- not accepting that she started again. "Three number fives please." She smiled, her voice sounded stronger that time.

"Alright, anything else? It's pretty hot outside I'd recommend the ice cream."

Biting the bottom of her lip she averted her gaze as she nervously poked her fingers together. Was he trying to converse with her? Or just doing his job? Either way he wasn't wrong it _was_ pretty hot outside.

"Um what kind of ice cream?" she inquired, doing her best to keep herself from squeaking.

Smiling that brilliant smile of his it seemed as if Naruto's entire body lit up along with it. "Well I'm glad you asked! There's vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, pistachio, mint chip, Oreo, brownie and even birthday cake."

Pausing a mischievous grin stretched across his lips as Hinata felt the instant urge to run, she felt like helpless prey about to be caught. Leaning in across the table Naruto softly whispered. "Though between you and me I would go with vanilla- everybody loves a classic."

Hinata swore could've died right there and then.

Instinctively leaning back the dazzled teen struggled to compose herself, "I...I'll just go with that then." She shakily replied still reeling from the closeness of the two. Was he flirting with her? Was he even allowed to do that on a shift?!

"Ok then! Your total will be $35.50." he beamed handing her the leftover change after she finished paying. Standing off to the side Hinata leaned against the counter with her hand against her cheek.

She couldn't even do something as simple as order food around him, Naruto… he made her brain dysfunctional.

She sighed. At school she really wished she could just suck it up, tell him how she felt and get it over with but she always ended up chickening out. So when her friend Sakura told her that she along with Naruto would work at the Uchiha Dynasty's newest venture "Uchi-Burger" Hinata couldn't have been happier. She would (in a sense) get to be close to Naruto almost every day and get good food out of it as well, it was a girl's dream.

The sound of her name being called knocked her out of her thoughtful reverie. Looking over she could see Naruto dangling her bag of food in one hand and her ice cream in the other trying to get her attention.

Smiling awkwardly she approached his end of the counter. "That was fast." She clumsily laughed nearly cringing at the sound.

"Here's your food, enjoy." Extending the food towards her he paused, "Oh and make sure Kiba doesn't overdo it this time! Coach Gai has been bugging me about letting him eat here ya know!"

Nodding she mumbled a quiet 'ok' as she hurriedly grabbed the bag and her ice cream ready to high-tail it out of there - a **HUGE** mistake on her part.

As soon as she felt the stickiness of the vanilla ice cream hit her palm she felt like dying.

Of course Hinata Hyuuga would grab her ice cream cone by the actual ice cream and not the cone, you know- the thing that's _specifically_ designed to hold the cold dessert.

On the bright side Hinata was thankful that it was a particularly slow time of day and nobody else but Naruto had just seen what had happened. On the contrary however _Naruto Uzumaki_ had just seen what had happened!

She was going to die!

Shutting her eyes tightly Hinata stayed frozen in her spot wondering that if she stayed there long enough if she'd actually disappear like she wished she would at that very moment.

She didn't.

* * *

Naruto tilted his head to the side in confusion, watching as Hinata's flawless porcelain skin became a very bright shade of red. His eyes then drifted down to the tasty vanilla swirl he was holding by the cone; the same one she was holding by the soft serve treat itself.

The delicious dessert was starting to run through the spaces of her fingers and down her small hands. How strange; Hinata wasn't moving at all.

"Uh, ya know… You sure do have a funny way of holding your ice cream." He teased lightly, scratching the back of his head with his free hand. When she let out a meek whimper, Naruto realized that Hinata was probably embarrassed.

Then he became a bit flustered as well. If she started crying, Kiba and Shino were sure to make his life a living hell! "Ah, don't worry Hinata, I'll get you some napki- Oh shoot!" Naruto panicked. In his frazzled state, he had dropped the ice cream cone, causing it to create a loud _splat_ sound against the counter.

Hinata's eyes widened at that very moment and the tears were already beginning to well up. "Don't cry, please don't cry!" The blond pleaded in a hushed voice, trying his best not to attract any unwanted attention. "I'll get you a new one, but first let's clean up your hand, kay?"

He put on his best, "believe in me" smile and before the tears could even reach her cheeks, Hinata closed her eyes once more and nodded.

Once Naruto was able to get a hold of some napkins (doused in soap and dampened with water to help take care of the stickiness), he gently grabbed hold of Hinata's wrist, cleaned her hand thoroughly, going over her palm and in between her fingers where the ice cream had run. Her hand was so soft, and while it laid in the palm of his, he realized how small hers were compared to his own.

Realizing that he had been holding her hand for quite some time now, Naruto slowly pulled away and gave a sheepish grin. "Haha… Sorry about that. But hey, lemme just clean up this mess really quick and I'll get you your new ice cream."

When he heard his shy friend squeak out a small "okay", Naruto cleaned up the counter, wiping away the puddle of ice cream that threatened to spill over the counter and disposing of the soggy cone. As soon as that was taken care of, he worked on getting Hinata a new ice cream.

Naruto chuckled to himself as the ice cream slowly swirled down into the cone. Hinata Hyuuga was certainly unpredictable. Whenever she was around him, she'd squeak and speak so softly, it was hardly audible. When she was around Kiba and Shino however, that was a different story. She spoke so clearly, and he could actually hear her rather melodic voice ring out through the air.

Hinata should really speak up more often; she had such pretty voice and it would have been such a great contrast to only hearing Sakura yelling at him or Sasuke's ridiculous caveman grunts.

When he finished, the blond walked back up to the counter, holding the new vanilla ice cream in his hand. "Here ya go," he beamed, "I made it extra special this time, just for you." A wink accompanied his words and he watched as her cheeks flared up again. She seemed hesitant in grabbing the cone, probably still scared that she'd miss, just like the first time.

Luckily, her hands grasped the cone and he let go once he was sure that the dark haired beauty before him had a steady grip on the ice cream cone. "Enjoy!" He grinned and Hinata nodded.

"Yes… Um, thanks. Also, I'm so sorry for the trouble I've caused." The tinniest of pouts formed on her lips and the blond teen couldn't stop the grin that broke out on his face. With a dismissive wave of his right hand, Naruto's grin turned into a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry about it. I'll see you around at school, kay?"

She nodded and hastily took off to sit with her friends, looking a bit distressed. Naruto leaned against the counter, propping up his whiskered cheeks with both of his hands as he watched Hinata chat animatedly with them.

The timid teen stopped a few minutes into their conversation to look at where Kiba was pointing at, and it looked like he was pointing directly at him. Hinata looked at his direction, her mouth just slightly ajar before she turned away, looking a bit embarrassed. Naruto removed one of the hands propping his face up to wave to her.

When she caught sight of him waving at her, the grip on the cone in her hand lighten, and tilted backwards slightly, hitting Kiba right in the middle of his face. He heard a small gasp escape her lips as she placed a hand over her mouth, looking at her handiwork in horror.

"Hinata!"

"I am so sorry!" The dog lover let out a groan as Hinata apologized profusely.

He let out a light laugh as he watched her desperately try to clean his face with a few napkins. She was quite the clumsy one, wasn't she?

Still, Naruto thought that Hinata didn't let it stop her from being so cute, even if she wasn't aware of it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Prompt:** 'You're really short and cute and you buy a cup of black coffee every morning but you make weird faces as you sip it and you never finish your drink are you trying to look mature or something' AU

 **Authors:** LovelyLori (First half/ Hinata) and unfitpuzzle (Second half/ Naruto). We hope you enjoy!

 **Title:** Scalding hot and bitter (Part 1/2)

 **Description:** Hinata didn't think she fit in there, Naruto was sure she didn't need to.

* * *

She didn't belong here. The Sharingan Café wasn't really what she'd picture a café to look like; with its mahogany brick walls and grunge-esque furnishing. Even the patrons here looked like they were a part of the decorations. Vibrant tattoos, packs of cigarettes poking out of their back pockets, ripped jeans and face piercings - a massive contrast to Hinata's crème cashmere cardigan, pastel pink pumpkin shorts and frilly stockings.

What on Earth was she doing here?

Well of course, she was here to get a small cup of hot chocolate and a warm cinnamon bun. Autumn did call for warm treats and hot drinks with whipped cream swirled on the top – everyone knows that! But did this place even carry sugar packets? She could have sworn she saw a guy eat a few raw coffee beans.

"Are you gonna stand in the door way all day or what?" A very tall and large man inquired, slightly annoyed that she was in the way. Two or three heads turned her way before dismissing the situation as unimportant, and Hinata's face flushed from embarrassment.

"I – I'm so sorry!"

The man only grunted before Hinata stepped off to the side and he exited the café. There was no turning back now; people had already acknowledged her presence. She didn't want to think about everyone talking about her if she left after standing in the doorway like a moron for three whole minutes.

Hinata shifted into line and was mesmerized by the cute barista working the register. Her breath shortened, taking in the sight of his bright blue eyes and unkempt golden locks. She noticed his unique whiskers that adorned his cheeks and wondered if they were birthmarks or tattoos.

She wouldn't have put it past him if they were tattoos; he seemed to be a part of that edgy rocker scene too, with his ear piercings and insane fox tattoo on that toned bicep of his. Okay, okay – so she may have also been checking him out a little. Cut her some slack – he was cute.

He broke her out of her trance when his husky voice sliced through the low chatter of the customers scattered about the café. She might have died if he was talking to her, but he wasn't. He was talking to a very pretty blonde who wasn't afraid of showing off her gorgeous curves.

"Heeeeey, Temari!" He beamed. "Long time no see. Where've you been at?"

"Here and there. Why do you ask? Don't you know curiosity killed the cat?" Her voice was very womanly, and almost even sultry. Hinata couldn't tell if she was flirting or if that was just her normal voice. Did Hinata ever sound sultry and flirtatious? She made a mental note to ask Kiba later.

"Hey, I'm just making conversation here. Nothing wrong with that, is there?" A smirk played upon his lips, and Hinata felt like she was melting.

Temari waved him off. "Hurry up and take my order Naruto. Your supervisor's gonna have a fit if you're not doing your job."

So Naruto was his name. Now she was able to put a name to the face that would forever be on her mind.

Naruto gave a snort. "Screw Sasuke!" Then he leaned in closer to the woman, cupping his right hand to his mouth and whispering, "But don't tell him I said that, I need this job."

The blonde laughed. "Just get me a cup of coffee – black."

"Sure, one black coffee coming up."

Now Hinata was feeling a bit nervous. All she wanted was a hot chocolate and a cinnamon bun. Was that too childish? She definitely didn't want to come off that way to the cutest guy she had ever laid eyes on. How embarrassing would that be? Who even drinks hot chocolate anymore!?

"And what can I get you cutie?" Naruto asked, patiently waiting for her response. The blonde woman was nowhere in sight now, and it was just her and the cute blond boy face to face. How long was she in her thoughts for that she hadn't noticed when she left? Wait a second, Hinata just realized that he called her "cutie."

Her cheeks reddened slightly, and she walked closer to the counter, occupying the spot that Temari was once standing in. "Uh, I'll just have a… a black coffee." She said, unable to stop the words from coming out of her mouth.

The skeptical look that Naruto threw her way hadn't gone unnoticed. "A black coffee?" He asked, and Hinata nodded. "That's it?"

"Um, yes."

"No milk or sugar?"

Hinata didn't quite like his tone. "Yes." She said firmly, scowling. Unbeknownst to her, Hinata's scowl looked more like a childish pout. "I'd like a black coffee."

"Woah, woah." Naruto chuckled as he put his hands up in defense. "I gottcha, a black coffee it is then."

It didn't take him long to make it, and after she paid for her drink, Hinata sat down at one of the empty tables to enjoy her dark beverage. She placed her lips on the small opening on the lid and took a sip before quickly wrenching her mouth from it.

It was absolutely bitter, and it burned her tongue. The slogan for the Sharingan Café was wrong! "The best brew the eye can see" her foot! She wanted to toss the whole thing out but she couldn't as Naruto's eyes never left her. A hint of red colored her cheeks and she looked away from him, slowly sipping her horrible tasting coffee.

She was there for about an hour, and she wasn't even halfway done with her drink. She made sure that Naruto was tending to another customer before she tossed the hellish drink and left, not allowing herself to be anymore humiliated than she already was.

But, every single day after that she found herself at Sharingan Café ordering that stupid black coffee; always sitting at her usual spot near the cash register and wondering why she chose to do this to herself as she sipped that bitter and scalding hot coffee.

* * *

The ding of the door alerted Naruto of a new customer, looking up from replenishing the coffee bean dispenser the whiskered blond saw a familiar curtain of blue tinted black hair make its way into the line.

Wracking his memory he tried to place a name to the woman, remembering it as Hinata- he had found that out one day when she came in with a tall brunette sporting what looked to be triangle tattoos on each cheek. She wasn't paying him any mind and that was the name he called to get her attention.

Hinata.

He remembered thinking that the named matched her somehow, "a place in the sun". It fit the sweet and kind disposition she gave off- what didn't fit the bill however was the black coffee she insisted on ordering every time she came into the café.

He had to admit he was initially shocked when she first came into Sharingan Café, not many people who entered the shop wore frilly stockings- it was kind of funny. So when it came her time to order he half expected her to buy something really cliché like a pumpkin spice latte or something, but then she went and did the unexpected- she had ordered a black coffee and never stopped ordering them since.

Now despite people's opinions Naruto was no idiot _especially_ when it came to people. He knew that Hinata didn't really like the naturally bitter taste of the rich black beans, why she persisted in ordering the damn thing (even when he suggested something sweeter like French vanilla) was beyond him.

Maybe it had something to do with that brunette guy.

The tattooed blond frowned. He didn't know why but he didn't like that thought one bit. She shouldn't have to change herself for any one at all, she was perfectly fine already. Straightening out his thoughts he quickly served the other people in line so that he could get to the person he really wanted to see. A Cheshire grin stretched across his face as he held in a chuckle, he had a plan.

Feigning nonchalance Naruto's cerulean eyes laid themselves upon Hinata's pearly gaze as he asked what would she like to order- he didn't' know why he did though, he already knew the answer.

"Coffee," She replied. "Just black- nothing else."

Nodding his head in understanding he turned around to prepare what she had asked for, but this time with a little something " _extra"_. Chuckling to himself he made sure to check if she was looking (she wasn't) before he added two shots of cream and two and a half packets of sugar.

If she drank the whole thing without throwing it out like she always did then what he suspected about her trying to impress some guy would be true and he would definitely have to talk to her about it.

Casually handing her the tampered coffee Naruto recited a dry "Enjoy your drink", watching as she curiously checked it.

"Um…" she voiced, still standing in line.

Dammit had he been caught? He was sure he had been so careful. Deciding to lie till the end Naruto faked a confused expression. "Yes?" he asked, making sure to level his tone, whenever he lied his voice had a habit of going up an octave.

"It's just that… does the coffee normally look this colour?"

Sheepishly scratching the back of his neck the blond cracked an unsure grin. "Um, that's how it usually looks but if you don't want it I can jus-"

"NO!" she abruptly yelled, her face reddening only seconds after she realized what she had just done . "I mean thank you… I'll just be over…there."

Bowing the dark haired woman quickly shuffled towards her usual table, the one closest to the cash register. Good, that would make it easier for him to observe her without being too obvious.

For one whole hour Naruto worked his shift and watched Hinata from the side of his eye, taking in even the most miniscule of facial expressions. Like how her lips curled at the first taste of her "black" coffee, or how her eyebrows dipped in wonderment as she held the cup up in curiosity, probably wondering why it tasted so different. When she finally finished Naruto scrambled to make it look as if he wasn't just watching her so intently, acting indifferent when she practically skipped up to him smiling.

Meeting his gaze one time then looking away, the blond barista found himself staring as she bit her lip in nervousness before beginning to speak.

"I just wanted to tell you that the coffee tastes really good today, what did you do to it?"

Grinning from ear to ear, he leaned against the table, raising an eyebrow in question at the woman before him. "Good yeah? What do you mean by that?"

Finding amusement in the way her eyes widened he crossed his arms waiting for a response.

"I mean… it's not as bitter. I like this brew way better."

"That's because it's not black coffee." He laughed. "I know you don't really like it so I put sugar and cream in it this time. It was so funny ya know, you didn't suspect a thing!

Bursting out in laughter Naruto only stopped when he heard a series of sniffles coming from the direction of Hinata. Opening his eyes he looked perplexedly towards her only to find her shoulders slumped in embarrassment as her bangs hid her face from his view.

An instant feeling of shame overwhelmed him as he leapt across the counter to comfort her, his mind shouting a series of obscenities.

Shamelessly he pulled her in for a hug as he patted the top of her head. "It's ok there's no need to be embarrassed." He whispered. "You're too good for that guy anyway."

Feeling her pull away, Naruto looked down as Hinata's tear stricken face (God he felt so guilty) looked up at him in bewilderment.

"What guy?" she inquired her face tilting off to the side.

Distancing himself from her the tattooed barista timidly laughed, "Ya know that brunette guy you always come here with. He has triangle tattoos on either side of his face."

"Kiba?!"

"Yeah him! You're drinking your coffee like that to impress him right? Make it seem like you're mature or something like that. I've seen a lot of girls come in here and do that before so I thought that you might… ya know… Even though I don't see why you're doing that though- there's nothing wrong with you and you seem perfectly fine to me! Any guy would be lucky for you to like them in that way…" He rambled on and on panicked that she might file a complaint to Sasuke or something. He didn't want to deal with that guy at all!

"Wait…" she stopped him, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "You think that I like Kiba?"

"I mean, yeah…?" He confirmed, now unsure of himself.

The sudden sound of laughter filled his ears as Hinata started crying for a different reason, she clutched at her shirt as Naruto struggled to get her to sit down at a nearby table, afraid that he might've broken her or something.

"Um., are you… ok?" he queried looking at her in puzzlement. Looking back at it now, his plan probably wasn't such a good idea.

"Yeah…" she assured him in between giggles. "It's just that you've got it all wrong I don't like Kiba, we're like siblings to each-other that would feel weird."

Scratching his head in mystification the blond raised an eyebrow. "But it doesn't make any sense. Why drink your coffee like that if you're not trying to impress anybody? You like tormenting yourself or something?"

Frantically she waved her hands in front of her has she shook her head. "No! Nothing like that I mean you're not wrong I was trying to impress somebody…" she sheepishly admitted, her expression resembling that of a child who had just been caught.

"Then who?"

At this question however she instantly clammed up. The need to know however was biting at him so he continued to pester her for an answer. Making sure nobody was in the store Naruto walked over to the entrance and turned the sign around to say "Sorry we're closed." ensuring that nobody interrupted their conversation.

Unprofessionally he sat down at Hinata's table, leaning in to hear her answer. "Who?" he asked again.

"No-one."

"Who?"

"Don't you have a shift to work or something?"

"My shift is over in 5 minutes and if someone enters the store I'll hear them. Who?"

Shaking her head she got up to leave, as Naruto raced to block her way, he wouldn't let her get away that easily. "Who?!"

"You!" she squealed, promptly covering her mouth in horror.

"Me?" he echoed, his eyes widening in surprise. She liked him? But she was way out of his league! "Are you serious?"

"Um, yeah?"

"Wow…" He scratched the back of his neck, a nervous tick. He had never known someone as good looking as her to ever be into someone like him. He was a pierced, tattooed, blond who worked at a café and looked like a delinquent, if anything he scared girls away.

"Is…" He looked down meeting the pearly gaze of his admirer. He decided then that he really liked her eyes. "Is that a bad thing?"

"No!" He denied profusely shaking his head in disagreement. "It's a great thing. In fact I kind of think you're cute yourself…" he confessed the tips of his ears reddening in embarrassment.

"You do?" her hopeful smile causing him to grin in response.

"Sure, in fact come here tomorrow! I don't think it would be right for us to start on this foot. Let's start over!"

Extending his hand Naruto waited for her to clasp it in agreement the anticipation killing him. Her face contorted in consideration before she grasped his hand, the whiskered blond letting out a sigh of relief.

"Alright from this day forward I'll definitely prove myself to you!"

Just then the ding of the door alerted both of them to the entrance of a customer, sighing Naruto rolled his eyes. "Hey buddy, don't you see that the door's closed? There's a sign there for a reason ya know!"

"Don't 'buddy' me!" Sasuke's voice growled in annoyance causing Naruto to jump. Dammit, he was in trouble.

"Who the hell said you could close the store? Because I sure as hell don't remember giving you permission!"

"Come on Sasuke! Don't be like that, you're embarrassing me!"

Pausing his dark haired friend raised an eyebrow finally noticing the scared woman behind him. "What you two doing the hanky panky or something? In the store Naruto?! God!"

"Sasuke!"

Forcing a smile Naruto quickly ushered Hinata out the store before Sasuke could embarrass him anymore. What was worse was the fact he knew that bastard was doing it on purpose!

"I'm sorry about that." He apologized laughing awkwardly to cover up his bruised ego.

"It's ok. I have to go anyways."

"Wait!" he shouted, "Are you going to come back?"

Smiling in what Naruto thought was a really enticing manner; he opalescent eyes sparkled in the sunlight. Scratch that Naruto loved her eyes. "Of course I am. You still have to prove yourself remember?"

Playfully grinning he yelled back an excited "Of course!" before he waved her off to where ever she was going.

Chuckling to himself Naruto entered the café ready for the berating Sasuke was bound to give him for fooling around on his shift. He didn't really care though.

That girl… she was really something wasn't she?


	3. Chapter 3

**Prompt:** I write a bad pick up line on your cup every time I'm your barista' AU

 **Authors:** LovelyLori (First half/ Naruto) and unfitpuzzle (Second half/ Hinata). We hope you like it!

 **Title:** Caffeine pick me up (Part 2/2)

 **Description:** All Naruto needed to do was find the perfect one...

* * *

To say that Naruto was excited to see her was an understatement. Excitement didn't nearly describe the quick beating of his heart and the large grin that broke out on his face when he spotted the dark-haired beauty in the doorway.

She was just as cute as ever, with her blue polka dotted skirt and oversized sweater with a cat in a box printed on it. They locked eyes, and Hinata's lips slowly cracked into a smile. Had they always looked so kissable?

Hinata strolled up to the register, fidgeting with the hem of her skirt. "Um… Hey." She managed to say. A sly grin played on Naruto's lips, and he rested one of his elbows on the counter, propping up his cheek.

"Hey yourself." It was accompanied with a wink, and he relished in the fact that her cheeks became a vibrant shade of red. He did say that he'd prove himself to her. What better way to do that than to play cool? It seemed working so far anyway. "Actually, we never introduced ourselves, have we?" He said, standing upright again. Not that it mattered, he already knew her name. But she didn't know that.

The realization seemed to hit Hinata too, since her eyes widened slightly. "Oh right! I'm Hinata, Hinata Hyuuga."

The blond jabbed his thumb into his chest with pride. "Naruto Uzumaki at your service! Now, what can I get ya today?"

Hinata hummed in thought for a moment. Figures. She wouldn't be ordering black coffee anymore so today, she'd finally get the chance or order something she actually wanted to drink. Naruto's eyes never left her; the way she lightly tapped her chin in thought. The way her eyes shined when she figured out what she wanted to order. The way her lips moved when she finally expressed it to him. Of all the people in the world, this girl had a fondness for him?

He wasn't sure if it was his boyish charm or just pure luck. He decided on the latter.

"Um, Naruto?" Her soft voice pierced through his thoughts. It was then that he realized that he had been staring at her for quite some time and he could feel his cheeks heating up. 'Real smooth Naruto.' He groaned inwardly.

"S-sorry about that!" He laughed, kneading the back of his neck sheepishly. "I couldn't help myself – you're just really pretty." Naruto was always a pretty bold guy; always saying what was on his mind. He took pride in that. Now he was starting to heavily consider if this trait was a curse or a blessing. "What uh… what did you order again?"

Hinata's attempt at covering her blushing cheeks with her hands was a total failure. "I… I just wanted a cup of hot chocolate."

"One hot chocolate coming up!" He grinned before turning his back to get a paper cup and a marker to write her name. He paused for a moment, staring at his chicken scratch writing before doodling a couple of hearts around her name.

Once her order was complete, he handed her the warm beverage as she handed him her money. "It's hot so be careful." Naruto's eyes were fixated on how Hinata's lips parted ever so slightly to take a sip of her drink, and how they broke into a smile afterwards.

Did he mention how kissable they were?

Then they parted again, but not for another sip. Her lips formed the tiniest "o" in surprise as she stared at the cup. Then she looked at him quizzically. "Is this… Are you trying to flirt with me?"

"That depends. Is it working?"

She only answered with a coy smile before walking off to sit at her usual table – the one closest to the register. Looks like he'd have to try harder.

~X~

 _Didn't we take a class together? I could have sworn we had chemistry._

That was day two's pickup line written on Hinata's cup. It didn't work. She looked up at him with quite the mystified look on her face. "Did we?" She asked innocently. "I went to a pretty big high school… But, I'm sure I would have remembered your face if we did attend the same school, much less the same class."

Naruto couldn't bear to tell her it was a pickup line, out of fear that she'd be so embarrassed that she'd start to cry. He sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. "Uh, y-yeah… Maybe not…" He finished lamely.

The dark-haired beauty let out a small giggle before turning on her heel to sit at her usual spot.

~X~

On day three, Naruto decided to go with something a just little more obvious.

 _Are you a cat? Because you're puuuurfect._

He chuckled to himself. It was funny because she was carrying a purse shaped like the face of a cat that day. It didn't look like she saw it that way because she had shot him a look of skepticism. "Really?" was all she asked.

"Oh come on! You have to admit; it's kinda funny!" The blonde tried convincing her.

"No it wasn't." Sasuke said nonchalantly as he passed by, carrying a few boxes in his hands.

'Who even asked you?' Naruto grumbled inwardly. When he turned his attention to Hinata, she was shyly waving at him from her seat closest to the register.

~X~

Day four's pickup line read: _Do you know what my shirt's made of? Boyfriend material._

Her opalescent eyes fluttered up at him, and his breathing hitched. "That's nice to know but… I don't want to date your shirt." She giggled.

"W-well, of course not! I just… er…" That pickup line sounded way better in his head.

Hinata smiled. "I'll see you some other time, Naruto."

"Yeah…" And then she was gone. "God dammit, what do I have to do, write a freakin' sonnet on there!?" His expression relaxed after that sentence, and he looked as if a wondrous idea had come to him. Maybe a sonnet would work.

Sasuke heard the entire thing and emerged from the back of the café where storage was. " _Don't._ " He said dryly, as if he read exactly what was on Naruto's mind.

He groaned. Leave it Sasuke to ruin his creative flow before he even started writing. Naruto shrugged it off.

He was an Uzumaki, and Uzumaki's never quit! She'd cave into his pickup lines soon!

…He just needed to find the right one first.

* * *

-X-

Smiling Hinata skipped her way to the Sharingan Café- it was across the street from her father's corporate building and these days she was spending a lot of time there learning about stocks and what not. Her life had been pretty boring the past few months- well up until about two weeks ago that is.

Two weeks ago she had met Naruto Uzumaki. And she couldn't be happier.

Giggling menially at nothing in particular, the dark haired beauty paused before opening the doors that would lead her into the warm and crisp atmosphere of the café.

Naruto had been trying this new thing where instead of talking to her like a normal person, he would write horrible- and she meant _horrible_ pick up lines on her cups. Some of them were really cute but the rest….

She shuddered.

Hinata had to admit though- it was kind of sweet for him to try and woo her like that (not that he really had to; she was already head-over-heels for the guy!). At first it was kind of alarming, she had thought that after that whole black coffee fiasco that he was just being nice, but then she started to look forward to what he had written on her cup, and before she knew it she never wanted it to end.

Somehow it had turned into their little thing. Those awful pick-up lines.

Entering with the **_ding!_** Of the doorbell the first thing Hinata saw was the Cheshire grin upon Naruto's lips and what seemed like her new favourite drink already in his hand. Shyly she made her way over to the register and reached into her bag to pay only to be stopped by the calloused touch of Naruto's hands over hers.

"This one's on me!" he exclaimed. "Call it pay back for those awful pick up lines last week. This one is sure to be much better!"

Nodding her head, Hinata reluctantly grabbed the cup terrified of what she might find on it.

 _Are you a surf? Cause' I sure wanna ride your wave!_

Clutching her hand to her mouth Hinata desperately tried to hide the reddening of her face from the barista's view. He was so bold!

"So what do you think? This one's definitely a winner right?"

She wasn't so sure 'winner' was exactly the right word.

~X~

On day five Hinata stood opposite the cash register, anxiously waiting for Naruto to finish writing. After yesterday's particular line, she had found herself thinking things that her cousin Neji would surely have a heart-attack over.

But could you blame her? Naruto was practically begging her to!

Tapping her fingers on the marble countertop in anticipation Hinata sighed. She wondered why Naruto was taking so long, he usually had his lines ready to go before she had even stepped foot in the store.

"Naruto…" she impatiently whined.

"Just a second…" He assured her, absorbed in the task at hand. "I'm almost done."

Waiting a little longer Hinata found herself staring at the blond. She admired the way his eyes steeled over in concentration and how the orange fox tattoo which danced across his arm moved with every word he wrote.

To her, he was beautiful in every sense of the word.

"Alright I'm done!" he announced grinning, extending the cup for her to take. "You can't tell me this one isn't pure gold."

Throwing him a skeptical look Hinata hurriedly grabbed her drink. "I'll be the judge of that." She lightheartedly teased.

Because the writing was at an angle she had to twist her head to read it properly- but when she finally did she sort of wished that she hadn't.

 _Are you a 90 degree angle? Cause' you're looking right._

She wasn't sure if his lines were getting better or worse.

~X~

Sitting in her usual spot Hinata waited for her best friend Kiba to come back with their drinks. They had arranged to meet at the Sharingan café as a break from their busy schedules, Hinata with taking over her dad's company and Kiba with studying to become a veterinarian.

Her other best-friend Shino unfortunately couldn't make it that day– he had become a bee keeper and had prior engagements due to a bug fair going on downtown. Of course he had invited them to attend but met with the choice of a warm drink or spending a day with bugs Hinata and Kiba didn't find it a difficult decision at all.

Besides Shino attracted bugs wherever he went, a whole fair full of bugs and Shino? That wasn't something she wished to be a part of.

"Hey buddy! I don't swing that way! And if I did do you really think it's appropriate to hit on somebody like this?!"

The resounding sound of Kiba's voice prompted Hinata to jump into action. She had a feeling she knew what exactly set him off.

Racing towards the register Hinata tried to diffuse the situation before it could get any worse than it already was.

"Kiba calm down!"

"No!" he proclaimed, pointing in the direction of an appalled Naruto. "Do you see what he wrote on my cup?!"

"H-Hinata," Naruto began frantically shaking his head in refusal. "I would never! Besides he's not my type at all!"

"You're one to talk! You disgust me!" The brunette shot back, annoyed.

Grabbing the offending cup Hinata read what Naruto had sprawled across it.

 _Are you a parking ticket? Because you've got_ _ **fine**_ _written all over you._

No matter how hard she tried she couldn't escape the laugh from falling out of her mouth. This one was definitely one of her favourites.

~X~

 _Nice pants. Can I test the zipper?_

"Naruto…" she groaned re-reading the words on her cup over and over again.

"What I thought it was good!" he admitted, apologetically laughing. "Ok ok, I'm sorry for that one."

"You should be." The sound of Naruto's boss over her shoulder almost made Hinata jump. But she guessed she couldn't be mad at him, he wasn't exactly _wrong_.

~X~

On day 8 Hinata laughed the hardest she had in a while.

"That bad huh?"

"No it's actually pretty funny!" She managed to say between fits of giggles.

Groaning Naruto held his face in his hands, defeated. "It isn't supposed to be funny!"

Looking down at her cup she begged to differ.

 _Are you a banana? Because I find you a-peeling!_

"Oh." She faltered. "I thought it was."

~X~

Pausing in disbelief Hinata looked down at her cup.

"A set of numbers?" She questioned staring at Naruto in puzzlement. What kind of pick up line was that? Did she need to decipher it or something?

"They're not just any set of numbers." He grinned, leaning in forward so that his face was just mere centimeters from hers. "They're mine."

Blinking Hinata felt her entire body heat up as Naruto leaned back and shot her a very suggestive wink.

"Call me later. I get off around 5."

Nodding her head the dark- haired beauty sat down in her usual seat, shooting Naruto a few dubious looks here and there. He had done a complete 180 from yesterday's 'Are you a keyboard? Cause you're my type,' line.

When did he get so smooth?

~X~

 _"I need a parachute."_

Staring at the text Naruto just sent her Hinata was debating on whether or not she should even bother asking him why he would ever even need a parachute when he sent another text.

 _"Because I'm falling for you."_

Smiling to herself she couldn't help the blush from forming on her face.

"Ok." She texted back. "That one was really cute."

~X~

Patiently Hinata waited for Naruto's shift to finish. After almost a month of bad pick up lines on her cup and in her text messages she had finally agreed to go out on a date with him.

At first she was a little reluctant to give in because that would mean the terrible pick up lines would stop, but then she started to feel bad after a while and decided that maybe it was for the best.

Still, she sighed, she would definitely miss all of that attention.

The beckoning of Naruto's voice alerted her that it was time for them to get a move on. Hurrying after him, they fell into a comfortable rhythm as they walked side by side to some ramen restaurant he told her about. Apparently they had the best ramen he had ever tasted and he wanted her to try it for their first date.

After being seated and placing their orders Naruto cleared his throat to get her attention. Looking up from her bowl of noodles (which she had to admit was pretty darn good) Hinata stopped eating and waited for Naruto to say what he wanted to.

"I- uh I have something to give you." Raising his left hand to reveal what looked like a drink from the Sharingan Café (how she had not noticed him carrying that she didn't know), Naruto awkwardly pushed it in-front of her.

"I kind of liked coming up with all those pick up lines." He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "And if you don't mind I'd like to continue."

Smiling Hinata grabbed the cup and hurriedly read what was on it.

 _Do you have a map? Because I keep getting lost in your eyes._

Shaking her head at his silliness she looked up at him in admiration.

"I really liked them too, so I don't mind if you continue." Pausing she bit her bottom lip as she added, "And your eyes are really mesmerizing as well."

Watching the tips of Naruto's ears go red Hinata struggled to keep in her giggles.

One month ago she had ordered a stupid black coffee and met Naruto Uzumaki. And she couldn't be happier.


	4. Chapter 4

**Prompt:** 'I can feel you silently judging me as you ring up my purchases I swear I'm not using these for their intended purpose'

 **Authors:** unfitpuzzle (First Half/ Naruto) and LovelyLori (Second Half/ Hinata). Enjoy, we both worked really hard on this one!

 **Title:** Latex Junkie

 **Description:** Hinata's misconception of Naruto was something he was more than happy to fix

* * *

"Why do you always buy this many? It's not very realistic."

Tugging at the collar of his shirt Naruto tried to hide the blush that adorned his whiskered cheeks to no avail. He was at the convenience store across the street from his university's campus and was currently being questioned by the (cute) cashier on why he always needed so many boxes of condoms.

It wasn't like he was using them or anything! Well not technically that is…

He was currently an RA for Konoha University and one of the things he was expected to do was promote safe sex among the students. The whiskered blond loved his job; he got to communicate with all his fellow students and was also able to help anybody who needed it. What he didn't like however was having to do all of those boring (and in this case embarrassing) PSA's.

It was unbelievable how fast the students would go through each box of condoms, and every-time they needed to stock up Sasuke (that bastard!) always sent him to get the damn things. And every-time he would go to buy them, the cute cashier with the pretty eyes would always be working the cash.

The last time he came to the convenience store he made sure to buy four extra boxes so he wouldn't have to go back for a while, but then while setting up the safe-sex bulletin board, Sasuke- who he swears did it on purpose- stapled the damn things onto the board, making them defective and ordered him to get some more. If it wasn't for Sakura threatening to beat them both to a pulp if they didn't stop arguing Naruto swore he would've killed him.

Sometimes he really hated that guy!

"I-it's not what you think!" he voiced, completely mortified. "They're not for me, but for the students!"

Gasping loudly, the cute cashier clasped a hand over her mouth. "Do you mean you're like a dealer or something?!"

"What? No!" he frantically denied, "Besides what dealer sells condoms?"

"I don't know, it just sounds suspicious…"

Sighing Naruto leaned in and read the name tag pinned to her shirt, "Look, Hinata is it? I wouldn't be surprised if you think I'm a weird guy and all but I promise you that I'm not like that. I work as an RA, it's kind of my job to…ya know "educate" the students on proper, well… ya know…" he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. At this point he wanted to just buy the condoms and get the hell out of there.

Widening her eyes Hinata quickly bowed her head, "I'm sorry!" she apologized. "It's just that weird people come in here every day and I thought you might be one!"

Waving her off Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "It's ok. I get it, I kind of look like a trouble maker so people tend to misjudge me a lot."

Shaking her head Hinata refused to let it be, "No I shouldn't have done that. Let me make it up to you, I insist."

Grinning Naruto leaned against the counter, "What like a date?" he teased, his smile getting wider at her reaction.

Going red in the face the dark haired cashier promptly shook her head, "I-I was actually talking about giving you a discount on condoms the next time you come here! I thought you said you weren't like that!"

Laughing Naruto shook his head, "I'm not, it's just that you're really cute. I couldn't help myself."

"How can you say things like that so casually? You couldn't even say the word sex before! It's like you did a complete 180!"

Pausing the whiskered blond, held his chin in thought, "Hm, I guess you're right. I should have more tact right?"

Extending his hand forward, Naruto smiled wide. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki nice to meet you."

Taking his hand and shaking it Hinata shot him a weird look. "I'm Hinata Hyuga."

They stood holding hands for a while until a cough from another customer behind the blond reminded them where they were. Awkwardly retracting his hand, The Uzumaki motioned his head towards the boxes of condoms on the counter, indicating that he'd like to pay.

"You're total is $95.46."

Handing her the money, Naruto waited until she was giving him the receipt, and handed her a card with his contact info, something he carried around to give to the university students.

Staring at the card quizzically Hinata looked up at Naruto in confusion, "What's this for?"

"It's my number, so we can arrange for some sort of atonement. Call me when you're ready to negotiate." He winked, laughing at her bashful expression.

Grabbing his bags and heading to leave he turned around and waved one last time at the blushing cashier, who was now serving another costumer.

On his way back to the university Naruto smiled to himself remembering how her hand had fit so seamlessly in his, like they were made for each other.

He couldn't wait to see her again, maybe this time he'd staple the condoms himself.

* * *

Hinata rubbed the small, smooth-textured card between her thumb and index finger. Naruto Uzumaki, huh? The first time he walked into the store, she had to shamefully admit that she rated him as a nine. She had never seen a guy that good looking before.

Well, she had, but never in person. Who knew people like that actually existed? Hinata even considered transferring to Konoha University herself if everyone there was even half as good looking as Naruto. However, that thought changed when he brought up a ton of condoms to the register for the first time.

At first, she thought he had a girlfriend and was stocking up on a bunch of them so they'd never be inconvenienced when the heat of the moment took them. She wanted to kick herself for not thinking about the possibility in the first place. A guy as handsome as that? Come on!

Every time after that, she slowly became more wary of the blond, whose rating she dropped from a nine to a seven – minus two points for slightly creeping her out.

Now that she knew the reason behind his expensive (and not so strange) purchases, she bumped him up to an eight. He still made her just a tiny bit uneasy so until he proved that she had nothing to worry about, she wasn't going to bump up the rating any higher.

The dark-haired beauty ran her hand through her silky tresses and gave a long sigh. Why was it taking her so long to dial up to 10 digits anyway? Naruto had already expressed that he was sort of into her, right? He wouldn't have given her his card if he wasn't, nor would he have called her cute.

She took a deep breath before lightly tapping the numbers on the screen of her smart phone. For a moment, Hinata found herself glaring at the green call button. After few seconds went by, the screen on her phone had become darker and out of reflex, her thumb tapped it so it would light up again. It just so happened that her thumb hit the green call button and Hinata's mind flew into a state of panic.

What was wrong with her? She should have texted him! What if he was in class or something and his phone went off? Maybe he was taking an exam and would fail automatically because of her. Oh, she'd feel so bad!

The phone stopped ringing and Hinata quickly placed it to her ear, listening intently. At first there was a lot of shuffling and Hinata thought she heard springs of a mattress creak. Then, a groggy "hello?" came from the other end.

A light gasp escaped her lips. "I'm so sorry, were you asleep?"

It was silent on the other end for a moment. "…Yeah." He mumbled, and although Hinata felt bad for waking him up, she had to say that his sleepy voice was rather… attractive. It was low and husky. It sent shivers down her spine.

Was he always so alluring without trying?

"Wait a sec, are you that cute girl from the convenient store?" He asked.

She definitely had a name. "Hinata." She said dryly, but Naruto didn't seem to notice.

He gave a low chuckle. "Hey, I'm glad you decided to call me. I thought you threw my number in the trash or something."

It had been three days since he gave her that card. Hinata didn't blame him for thinking that she tossed it away and felt terrible that she kept him waiting. "Sorry. I meant to call earlier but I was just…"

He let out another low laugh, cutting off her apology. "It's fine. You're calling now and that's what matters." There was a small pause between them before Hinata heard the sounds of mattress springs once more. "So, you figure out how you're make it up to me yet?" He laughed.

Actually, no. She was so bent on finding the courage to call him that she completely forgot about that. "I… Well, no. But like you said, we can work something out, right?"

"I really wanna go on that date with you." Naruto answered her quickly, and she gasped. "Sorry," he mumbled, "I'm still hella tired. Sorry for being so upfront, but I mean come on. You're really cute and I want you to have a better image of me than 'the latex junkie'."

Hinata couldn't suppress her giggle. Soon, it became uncontrollable and she almost missed the small laugh Naruto gave. "Oh, that's funny to you, huh?" She nodded, but reminded herself that he couldn't see her and gave a weak "yes" in between laughs.

After calming herself down, Hinata finally gave him an answer. "I don't know about a date, but you're really funny. We can hang out together if you'd like."

Naruto hummed in thought. "So an unofficial date then, right?"

"…I guess, if you want to call it that. It'll be my treat since I'm making it up to you. I'll text you the details?"

She could practically hear Naruto grinning on the other end of the line. "I get a pretty girl treating me on an unofficial date? I must be pretty lucky." He then yawned, and Hinata felt bad for keeping him up this entire time. "I should probably let you get to bed."

"No, it's fine." Naruto said. "I've had a pretty long day, so getting a chance to hear your voice is a plus in my book. But I think seeing you'll be even better."

Funny, Hinata was just thinking the same thing.

The two of them chatted for hours about their hobbies, majors, favorite television shows – anything they could think of. It was almost two in the morning when they said good night to each other (though Naruto, being the dork that he was, corrected her by saying good morning) and when they did, Hinata just couldn't get that handsome RA out of her mind.

He was everything she had hoped for in a guy and he was also a few things she never thought she needed in a guy.

Boy, was she wrong.

On their unofficial date, Naruto made Hinata laugh so hard, her stomach hurt. She couldn't even breathe at one point and swore she was going to die right then and there. Hinata also learned that Naruto was quite charming, constantly throwing winks in her direction all while telling her how pretty she looked.

He was smart too. Naruto was able to hold a few intellectual conversations on politics (who would have guessed that exuberant blond was a political science major?) and actually had quite a few genius ideas on how to change Konoha City for the better. He also told her that he'd be able to write his own speeches too, unlike Mayor Hatake.

And did she mention how athletic he was? He was even on Konoha University's baseball team. Now, Hinata was never into sports or muscle heads who attempted to get her attention by flexing at her, but after just seeing Naruto's biceps tighten against the sleeve of his shirt, Hinata had to wonder what the rest of his body looked like.

What really made her heart pitter-patter against her chest was when he took her by the hand and locked his cerulean eyes with her opaque ones. "This was fun and all, but I'd like to take you on a proper date next time. Whadaya say? Have I proved myself yet?" Then he let out a low chuckle.

Naruto's whiskered cheeks made way for a perfect smile to shine out, and Hinata felt entranced. Small lips opened slightly to answer, and a breathy "yes" was all she managed to say.

That day, Naruto managed to jump from an eight all the way to a ten – plus two points for being her dream guy.

And to think, this was the guy she thought of as the latex junkie.


	5. Chapter 5

**Prompt:** 'I'm on the verge of tears because of a rude customer and you step in and stand up for me' AU

 **Authors:** LovelyLori (First part/Naruto) and unfitpuzzle (Second part/ Hinata), this was really cute to write :) ENJOY!

 **Title:** Helping Hand

 **Description:** Naruto wasn't gonna stand around and do nothing, especially when Hinata was so cute

* * *

"But do ya really think she'd like something like this?"

With crossed arms, Naruto gave the mannequin's pink miniskirt his infamous look of skepticism, with squinted eyes and a pout. Ino's big birthday bash was only a few hours away and he still hadn't gotten the right gift.

To be honest, her birthday had completely slipped his mind. He hadn't been seeing much of her the past couple of weeks, and they only texted each other once in a while. Surprisingly, her upcoming birthday never became a topic of conversation for the two of them.

When Sakura mentioned a surprise birthday party during a phone conversation the other day, the realization that he hadn't gotten her anything hit him like lightning. He desperately clung to Sakura's leg, begging her to help him out while she did her best to keep a polite tone of voice over the phone as she tried to shake him off.

Once she regretfully told him that she wouldn't be able to help him out (with a smirk so much smug, he was sure she didn't regret it), Naruto sought out to find the next best thing.

Shikamaru wasn't fond of being a second thought – or any thought, as he didn't want to go out shopping for a second time. But it seemed that Naruto didn't know the meaning of the word "no," forcing him to stand in a gaudy, overly priced boutique with his signature "everything about this is troublesome" look on his face.

He sighed. "Naruto, I don't know. Just pick something so we can leave already." Ino wouldn't take too kindly to their tardiness, and the overpowering stench of perfume was starting to take a toll on his physical health, he was sure of it.

Naruto whipped around in an instant, staring Shikamaru down with wide eyes. "I can't just pick something! If I do it half assed, Ino won't be happy!" And if she wasn't happy, things wouldn't go very well for him.

"It's already half assed if you're shopping for her right before the party, Naruto," He frowned, shoving his hands in his pocket. "Look, just get her a bouquet of flowers or something. Cosmos are her favorite. I'm sure it'll be fine."

Naruto grimaced. "What part of 'I don't want this to be half assed' don't you understand?"

"And what part of 'it's already half assed' don't you understand?!" He countered.

Naruto ignored him, and went off in search for the perfect gift. The two of them had visited countless mall outlets earlier on in the day, and nearly everything they came across, the two found too trashy a gift for Ino. Of the gems they did stumble upon, they were way out of Naruto's budget.

And no. Shikamaru was not going to spot him.

While walking around the plaza dejectedly, his eyes fixed on a small, but fancy looking boutique.

The Paper Doll was the name, and upon entrance, a pale woman with blue hair and a labret piercing greeted them, and asked if they needed any help. Naruto was seriously starting to regret declining her offer. There weren't any employees wandering around and Naruto was sure that a woman's opinion would point him in the right direction.

Needless to say, Shikamaru was proving to be useless.

"Excuse me, do you two need any help?" Her voice was small, yet warm and friendly. And when he caught a good look at her, he smiled. Her whole demeanor was gentle, from her soft smile to the look she gave him with those pearlescent eyes.

She wore her standard work uniform, a black pencil skirt and vest with a white button down underneath. It was complete with her name tag that read Hinata, and never in his life had Naruto been so happy to see a sales clerk.

His smile widened into one of his big grins, and without a second thought, the exuberant blond grabbed hold of her hands with a hopeful twinkle in his eyes. "Yes! Yes we do need help! Oh my God, thank you!"

"Would you chill out for a second?" Shikamaru cut in. "Can't you see that you're making her uncomfortable?"

Naruto blinked before noticing that the warm look on her was replaced with a flustered look. Her eyes narrowed slightly in discomfort, and her cheeks turned a vibrant shade of red. Glossed lips parted to let out a shaky breath and immediately, Naruto let go of her hands and took a few steps back.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to upset you! I just wanted to –!"

Shikamaru stepped in front of him with a calming smile. "Don't mind my troublesome friend here," he started, causing Naruto to scowl. "We're shopping for a friend's birthday and were hoping you could help us pick out the perfect gift. We're sort of on a budget."

Regaining her composure, the warm smile returned to Hinata's face again. "O-oh!" She squeaked. "I can help you with that. What kind of present did you have in mind?"

As Shikamaru described to Hinata what kind of gift Naruto was going for, the blond trailed behind them with his hands behind his head and a frown on his face. This day couldn't get any worse. Not only did he make a fool out of himself in front of the pretty sales woman, but he also made her uncomfortable.

 _Real smooth, Naruto._

"I think this necklace would suit her perfectly," Hinata spoke, easily slicing through his thoughts. He looked down at the piece of jewelry in the case and was immediately apprehensive about how expensive it was. "You mentioned she was a party girl, and I think a gold choker would suit her very well."

"But… how much is it?" Naruto asked, and she looked at him with slightly widened eyes. Damn, was she really that uncomfortable with him? "Er… I mean –"

"It's right in your budget, don't worry," said Shikamaru. "I filled her in."

Disclosing how much money he had to Hinata didn't sit well with him, and a light shade of pink dusted his cheeks. "U-um… I'm sure I can give you a discount on it." She smiled.

"Hinata!" Another woman called out. "I'm heading out on break! Take over the register for me?"

"Oh! Okay, I'll be there in a moment!" She answered back before turning to her customers. "You can come by at my register for that discount if you're set on buying it." And with that, she headed off to the register.

Naruto watched her walk away before mumbling to Shikamaru, "She hates me."

"I wouldn't be surprised," he laughed. Before Naruto could even protest, Shikamaru pointed to the choker in the case. "Are you getting it? Cause we can go to the register now and ask her to open the case for us. And we'll be back in time for the party too."

The necklace probably would have suited Ino's taste anyway. "Eh, why not. I dunno anything about shopping for girls, so I guess it's just best to trust Hinata's judgement."

As they stood behind another man in line, Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so you know her name? Who even reads name tags?" Although he was only teasing, the realization that he memorized and referred to that woman (that he'd probably never see again) by her name put a blush on his face.

"Sh-shut up! I read them! And if she's got a name, it makes sense to refer to her as that, so stop being an ass."

"What were the names of those other store clerks we saw today?"

When Naruto couldn't answer, Shikamaru snickered, and the blond was ready to tell him off. Then the yelling of the man at the register got their attention.

"What do you mean you can't give me a refund for this!? I just purchased it two days ago!" He shook a perfume bottle in his hands, a rather expensive looking one, Naruto noted.

"I'm sorry sir," Hinata started, "but you don't have the proper packaging for it, and due to store policy, I can't just take it back like that. U-unless you have a receipt." Although her voice trembled slightly, she stood her ground.

"I don't know what my wife did with it! Look, you were the one who sold me this piece of crap the other day! I want my money back!" He cried.

"So many people have come in here since then, I can't remember each and every face, I'm sorry."

"Well you ought to! How're you supposed to be any good at your job if you can't even recognize your customer's face?"

When Naruto turned to Shikamaru with a look of annoyance etched onto his face, he frowned. "Cool it, Naruto. This isn't our business, alright?"

He knew that, but watching this made him sick to his stomach. "Yeah, but he can't just talk to her like that! It's rude!"

While Hinata dealt with that customer, another woman tapped him on his shoulder. "If you're paying with cash, you can make your purchase right here."

"Go ahead Naruto, show her the necklace you want," Shikamaru said.

"But…" Naruto's eyes wandered towards Hinata once more, and she looked even more flustered then when he accidentally invaded her personal space. They locked eyes for a moment, and the scared look he got from them made him sympathetic.

" _Hey! Look at me when I'm talking to you, Goddammit!_ "

Hinata flinched, returning her attention to her customer with tears in her eyes, and that's when Naruto had lost it. With tensed muscles and a scowl on his face, Naruto walked towards the register.

"Uh, hey! Naruto!" He cried, "Don't! We don't have time for you to be – oh my God, he's so troublesome."

"Yo! What the hell's your problem?" The man at the register was stunned for a moment, and before he could get a word in, Naruto continued. "You can't talk to her like that!"

"This doesn't concern you, boy! Now get outta here!" The man sneered.

His fists balled up, fingernails digging into the palm of his hand. "I don't give a shit! How's it her fault that you lost your receipt like a dipshit!

"Naruto," Shikamaru hissed, "relax!"

"No I'm not relaxing! Did you not just see how much of an asshole he just was? Stop intimidating her! She obviously can't return your money, so quit being such a child and get over it!" Naruto never took his icy glare off of Hinata's rude customer, and once the man felt the eyes of all the patrons on him, he shoved the bottle of perfume into his pocket and left the store, grumbling something about stupid children.

Naruto didn't catch all of that, but his only response was to flip the man the bird before returning his gaze to Hinata.

* * *

Rubbing her temple Hinata breathed in and out like her cousin had taught her to do when she was feeling overwhelmed. It was moments like these where she was reminded of how much she hated her job.

Trying to maintain her sales smile Hinata couldn't find it in her to do so and instead turned towards her aid without one.

"You didn't have to do that."Hinata said, pouting at the blonde customer before her. Although she was grateful for what he did she realized she probably didn't look really competent having a customer defend her like that.

And plus she was supposed to help the cute blonde not have him basically do her job for her!

The hand of the blonde's dark haired companion settled on his shoulder in what looked like a death grip. "You're right," he said, clearly annoyed. "He didn't."

"Oh can it Shikamaru." Shaking off the man, confused blonde eyebrows shot up, giving her a look of skepticism. "I thought I was helping?"

Frowning Hinata, bit her lip afraid she was causing another conflict to break out again. "I- I know and for that I'm grateful but it's part of my job, sir."

Swatting away her thanks the blonde leaned into the counter, scowling. "Listen, absolutely no-one deserves to be treated like that, especially in an area where they can't freely defend themselves."

Instinctively Hinata smiled warmly at the customer, usually people didn't see it that way, most of them thought of sales employees as people meant to serve them on hand and foot.

Coughing to fill the silence that enveloped the two the blonde leaned back and awkwardly scratched beneath his nose. "And it's Naruto, not sir."

"Naruto." Hinata repeated, testing out the name on her tongue. She didn't quite know why but she liked that name, it suited him. "Hold on for a minute."

Turning towards her returning manager Hinata motioned towards the cash register. "Is it ok if I take my break now?"

Nodding her head at her employee Konan took her place at cash, "Sure, I saw that awful customer. Take fifteen."

Nodding her head Hinata graciously smiled at her boss "Ok, Thank you."

Coming out from behind the cash counter with her bag Hinata made her way over to a patient Naruto and his clearly annoyed friend.

Sparing the man Naruto had called 'Shikamaru' an apologetic look Hinata tried to smooth over the situation. "I'm sorry if I'm wasting your time I just wanted to thank you properly."

Shaking his head Naruto let out a boisterous laugh. "No its ok I've been wasting his time all day."

Rolling his eyes Shikamaru sighed, "Yeah, what he troublesomely said."

Nodding her head Hinata muttered a quick 'follow me' before making her way out of her workplace and into the busy mall. Looking behind her to make sure they were following she made her way into an expensive looking jewellery store named "The Mine".

"Uh, Hinata?"

Surprised Hinata turned around and rose a brow at her companion. "How do you know my name?"

"Uh you're wearing a name tag?" Naruto answered clearly embarrassed.

Giggling softly Hinata shook her head at the blonde. He was really… interesting. "No one really reads those."

"Yeah I said that too, funny isn't it?" Shikamaru sniggered, and based on Naruto's irritated reaction it was at his expense.

Shoving his friend Naruto pouted. "Shut-up." Coughing Naruto looked around the store in clear awe, Hinata had guessed he was probably worried about his wallet.

Amused Hinata shook her head in laughter, "Don't worry Naruto," She assured him. "This one's on me, consider it a thank you."

Absentmindedly inspecting the jewellery Hinata tried to search for something that this mysterious girl would like. While searching she wondered why Naruto would be so pressed about her present. Frowning she concluded that this girl was probably his girlfriend, and that whatever interest she had in him would never lead to anything.

After all she was just a sales clerk.

Spotting a bracelet laced with sapphires across the store, Hinata made her way over to the section it occupied, as both her companions followed closely behind.

"This is it." She said tapping the glass, looking up at the blonde Hinata smiled. "She'll love it."

Inspecting the bracelet the casually dressed blonde let out a gasp of horror. "H-Hinata this looks too expensive, I can't possibly…"

Stopping him mid-sentence Hinata shook her head in disagreement. "Yes you can and you will. If you don't accept this I'll be personally offended."

Looking as well Shikamaru shot her a look of incredulousness. "You're kidding right? How can you possibly afford this? This is probably way over your budget."

Awkwardly running her fingers through her hair Hinata tried not to give in to her hand-wringing habit. She really didn't feel like revealing her life story at the moment or if possible, ever. "Um, the job is more one of convenience rather than of necessity…"

Narrowing his eyes, the spiky haired man surveyed her one more time before turning his attention towards his companion, who looked between the two suspiciously.

"Uh you two ok?" he asked, clearly feeling the tense atmosphere surrounding them.

Rolling his eyes Shikamaru tapped the glass again, "Drop it genius. You should get this, it's even Ino's birthstone."

"So she'll like it?" Naruto asked his eyes filled with hope. Looking away Hinata tried not to let his expression ruin her mood, it was sweet of him to be so into his girlfriend.

That Ino sure was one lucky girl.

Shrugging his shoulders Shikamaru coolly leaned against the glass, letting his head lazily hang back. "Beats my gift."

"And Sakura's?" Naruto inquired, smiling devilishly at the bracelet in question.

"She'll be mad for sure." Shikamaru yawned.

Turning towards Hinata Naruto shocked her by grasping her hands into his bigger ones.

"Thank you!" he exclaimed.

Trying not to focus on the warmth of his hands, Hinata tried desperately to maintain eye contact with the blonde. But the icy glance of his azure eyes caused her to quickly turn away.

Failing, the dark haired woman instead chose to focus somewhere else on his face the whiskers it adorned catching her attention. Tilting her head she wondered how the carefree blonde went about acquiring those. Was it a tattoo?

Before she could think her hand was already on his face tracing the lines. Widening her eyes Hinata quickly pulled away her hand when she realised what she had just done.

Stepping back a bit she tried avoiding Naruto's eyes by looking over at Shikamaru, who staring at her with narrowed eyes caused her to look right back at Naruto.

"S-sorry." She mumbled, trying hard not to fumble over her next words. "Uhm, is this it? My breaks almost over."

"Uh y-yeah." Naruto stuttered probably still stunned from before. Mentally slapping herself Hinata asked her inner mind why it couldn't have warned her sooner. She really didn't want to be somebody who flirted with taken men.

"Ok I'll ask them to wrap it up as well."

Quickly shuffling away Hinata was glad to be out of that situation. Going towards the cash register she described the bracelet and waited for them to come back with a wrapped gift. Leaning on the counter Hinata turned around to only catch Naruto's gaze on her, turning her reddened face away she made a mental note to not look into his mesmerizing eyes.

Glancing at her watch she realised she only had eight minutes left and nicely urged the cashier to hurry it up a bit understanding of their situation.

When she had acquired the gift she made her way over to the duo she had come with, both of whom were now waiting outside the store.

Stretching her thank you in front of her Hinata bowed her head. "Thank you!" she offered.

Awkwardly laughing Naruto took the gift from her, "Hinata it's really no big deal. You don't have to do that."

Looking up Hinata straightened herself out, running her fingers through her hair. "Uhm, I've got to get going now. I hope your girlfriend likes it."

"My what?!"

Looking around at the people Naruto had alerted Hinata offered smiles of apology.

Rubbing his ears Shikamaru hit Naruto across the head ignoring his cries of pain. "Not so loud genius, she means Ino. No need to be so troublesome."

Holding his head Naruto turned towards Hinata expecting an answer. "You think Ino's my girlfriend?"

"Look I really have to go…" Hinata mumbled uncomfortable with the whole situation. Bowing she quickly tried to get out of there only to be stopped by the weight of Naruto's hands.

"Wait! Let me invite you to the party at least. You must have spent a ton on that gift."

"I'm not really sure that's a good idea."

"Why not?"

Raising a brow, Hinata shot him a look. Was this guy a player? "Uh, your girlfriend?"

"Geez Hinata what are you on about? Ino's not my girlfriend." Naruto sighed, his brows deeply furrowing.

Trying not to show how much that information excited her Hinata attempted to stay composed. "She's not? Then why were you so worried about her gift?"

"Because she's so high maintenance!" Naruto exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air for added emphasis.

"Look," He began, getting serious again. "It would mean a lot to me if you accompanied me to this party."

Frowning Hinata tried not to get too excited about the situation, why would she attend a party she wasn't even invited to?

"I don't know anybody there." She stated.

"I'll help you know them." He countered.

Sighing, Hinata pouted knowing that she was probably gonna be late for work and that Naruto wouldn't let this go so easily.

Looking him up and down Hinata inspected him as best as she could. He definitely wasn't ugly, that's for sure, in fact he was probably the most attractive guy she's ever seen. His blonde hair shone so brilliantly and complimented his eyes, ones someone like her could definitely get lost in. His personality was obviously an added plus as well.

Biting her lip, Hinata willed herself not to smile, "You really want me to go?"

Nodding his head with no indication of joking, Naruto smiled. "Definitely."

Smiling back Hinata allowed herself to give in just this once. She did say Ino was lucky, now that she had the opportunity to be that girl what was stopping her?

"I'd love to."

Exchanging their information, the two said goodbye with a hug (all Naruto's doing) and a small wave (a fumbling mess on her part).

Smiling on her (late) way to work Hinata felt like floating. Maybe her job wasn't _all_ that bad.


	6. Chapter 6

**Prompt:** 'You run in looking really panicked and you ask for 6 gallons of milk why' AU

 **Authors:** unfitpuzzle (First Half/ Naruto)  & LovelyLori (Second Half/ Hinata **).** This is unfortunately our last prompt, we came together for our mutual love for Naruhina and we had so much fun doing it, please enjoy (and checkout our other stories if you haven't already, what a shameless plug)

 **Authors Last Note:** _Kae: Writing with Lori helped me become a better writer she's seriously so good, and I'm sad to see this go but it was a really fun experience and I'm sorry it took so long we kinda slacked off, lmao_

 _Lori: I had a lot of fun with this and it was a pleasure to write and share this with everyone (and I'm sorry for how long it took lol)_

 **Title:** Cat Got Your Tongue?

 **Description:** There was a lot about Hinata that Naruto didn't know, well; except the fact that she seemed to _really_ like milk.

* * *

Looking at the ginormous amount of milk Hyuga Hinata was buying Uzumaki Naruto couldn't help but raise his brows at his classmate. Just glancing at the pile he could estimate there was about twenty-three cartons, all lactose free. He was sure that there was no believable reason in the whole world that could even attempt to explain the strange sight.

"Hinata, t-that's…a lot of milk." He said slightly a gape.

Silently he wondered how someone as small as her would even manage to carry all of it. As Naruto could recall from some of their conversations Hinata was the only one in their class to not have her driver's license as her birthday wasn't until December.

How she was planning to carry all twenty-three cartons of milk by her lonesome, the boy wasn't sure.

"Yeah…" she squeamishly replied, airing out a wave of awkwardness that he had somehow managed to create.

Holding up his hands in front of him Naruto offered an apologetic smile. "Sorry, didn't mean to pry but it's just- really unbelievable ya know?"

Tutting out her bottom lip, his tiny classmate blew the top of her bangs in frustration.

"How so Naruto?" she asked seemingly annoyed, and in Naruto's eyes completely adorable. He had never seen her wear quite an expression before, it interested him to say the least.

Grinning Naruto felt the hairs on his arms spike up in excitement. The spiky haired blond always prided himself in being a people person. He found that with the right amount of teeth in a smile anybody, no matter who they were, was always willing to have a conversation.

Often times he found that the best part of working in a grocery store was the small connections he managed to make with interesting customers, some even turning into friendships (Though that stubborn Uchiha refuses to call it as such).

Hyuga Hinata was someone he knew mostly by name, any sort of conversation they ever had was in the company of mutual friends, had little to no eye contact and usually lasted no more than fifteen minutes. However regardless of how short and awkward their talks were they still managed to be rather interesting.

The blond haired teen didn't know why but he was sure Hinata had some sort of bad impression of him. If he had to guess as to why she was so hostile he figured it was probably because he came off as some type of hoodlum. If he could somehow change her mind, he would feel really relieved, he could see someone like her becoming his really close friend.

Seeing this as an opportunity to make a new connection Naruto allowed the devilish grin his face adorned to stretch even further.

Inquisitively placing his hand on his jaw Naruto suspiciously narrowed his eyes, "It's just that having this much milk seems pretty unethical. It would spoil before you even drank it all."

"It's no problem really," She quietly disagreed, smiling gently, "I'll be sure t-to put it to good use."

"Well it's not only that. The lactose-free milk is really expensive and you're a student so…"

Licking her bottom lip nervously the pearl eyed young woman quickly reached into her purse for her wallet, one printed with various cartoon cats. Supressing a chuckle Naruto absentmindedly shook his head. Of course she'd be more of a cat person, the milk practically spoke for itself.

Whipping out a black AmEx, Hinata thrust the card just inches away from his face. Seeing the card Naruto's eyes widened, those things were really hard to obtain if you weren't filthy rich.

"I can pay for it no p-problem if that's the issue."

Gently pushing the card away Naruto offered a tense smile as he inwardly cursed himself. Racking his brain for any indication of her background Naruto remembered hearing that Hinata's family owned a handful of very successful martial arts chains. It was a wonder how he had forgotten, they had Hyuga dojos set up all over Konoha, and her cousin Neji had even showcased his genius talent during a scuffle they had gotten into.

Feeling his eye twitch the grocer raced his self to come up with another excuse, he couldn't let her get away that easily, not until her awful opinion of him changed.

Reaching a solution Naruto held his bright smile firm. Glancing behind Hinata, he could see that apart from her the store wasn't really busy. Returning his gaze back to hers he held up his index finger, signaling for her to give him a minute. At the nod of her head he made his way towards the door behind the register that led to the employee area.

Reaching inside Naruto cleared his throat to catch the attention of his mother Kushina Uzumaki. Her long red hair was tied back in a ponytail and she adorned her reading glasses as she looked over the list of produce that needed to be restocked.

With a smile much like his own Kushina looked at Naruto. "Hey sunshine, what's up? Something wrong?"

Returning her smile Naruto shook his head, "Nope. I was just wondering if you'd let me take my break a little earlier today."

Setting down the pile of papers she was looking at, Naruto's mother made her way across the room and placed her hand on his head.

"Hm," she frowned, "You don't feel like you have a fever, you feeling alright? Is there a bad customer? Want me to take care of them?"

Holding his hands in front of him Naruto heartily laughed, "No Mom I'm not sick and the customers have been fine."

Raising a brow Kushina crossed her arms. "Then what's wrong? You're not planning to slack off again are you Naruto, because I swear-"

Sensing his mother's escalating frustration Naruto quickly raced to defuse the situation, an angry Kushina Uzumaki was not a pleasant sight at all. They didn't call her Red Hot Habanero for nothing.

"No that's not it, it's just there's a customer here who I'm also classmates with. She's purchasing a large amount of stuff and I know she doesn't drive so I wanted to help her out that's all."

"Huh, 'she'?"

Opening the door behind them Kushina peered outside and gasped, quickly closing it back.

"Oi Naruto, she's kind of cute! You didn't tell me you had a crush!"

Profusely shaking his head, Naruto tried to dispel his mother's bold notions, desperately combatting the blush spreading across his cheeks. He couldn't imagine what his mother would go out there and do to painfully shy Hinata if she thought he liked her.

Probably embarrass him beyond repair.

"M-mom, it's not like that I swear! Don't go doing anything weird!"

Swatting him away Kushina made her way back to the table flittered with papers, "Don't worry Naruto! I used to be a teenager too ya know! I understand the complexities of young love."

"Mom I told you it's not like that!"

Laughing Kushina reached for her reading glasses across the table, returning them to her face, "Go ahead and help her I'll be out in a minute. But make sure to turn the sign on your way out, last time you forgot I had a horde of angry letters coming in for a whole month!"

Pumping his fist an energized Naruto ran smiling across the room to give his mother a hug, squeezing her as tightly as he could manage, "Thanks mom," he said. "I'll make sure to be quick about it!"

"Naruto, honey," Kushina gasped. "You're crushing me."

Letting go of his mother, Naruto shamelessly scratched the back of his head, "Sorry, I'll be going now!"

Waving his hand goodbye, He quickly shuffled out the back room and returned to the cash register. Crouching down he opened one of the cabinets located behind the counter and pulled out a sign that read "Closed", placing it on the top of the table, much to his classmate's surprise.

"W-what're you doing?" Hinata queried staring at the sign in puzzlement.

"Don't worry," Naruto said, assuring her. "I'm going to ring you up no problem. It's just that I'm going to help you with your groceries after."

"You r-really don't have to do that…"

Smiling brilliantly Naruto jabbed a thumb towards his chest, "But I want to! It's the kind of guy I am ya know! Besides," he grinned, "I've got to make sure you aren't planning to do anything weird with all that milk!"

Blushing profusely Hinata turned her dumbfounded face away from the blond much to his disappointment. It seemed he would have to work harder in order for her to like him, she could still hardly look him in the face.

Ringing up her purchase Naruto carefully arranged the milk bags, making sure to equally distribute the weight. Even though he planned on driving, his car was parked in the employee section of the parking lot located at the back of the store. He would prefer not to feel like his arms were falling off as he held his cars steering wheel.

Pushing Hinata's hands away from the bags the cashier made his way from behind the counter, "Allow me." Naruto insisted, grabbing the heavy bags before his customer could even protest.

"I said I would help wouldn't I?" He chuckled, the weight of the bags sitting comfortably in his hands. The energetic teen was surprised it wasn't as hefty as he'd imagined, he made a mental note to thank his godfather Jiraiya for constantly dragging him to the gym later.

Motioning with his chin towards the stores exit Naruto yelled a quick, "Follow me," over his shoulder, leading the way towards his red Camaro. It was a little dated and bruised but it had been a gift from Jiraiya for his getting his license. He remembered how his dad and mom had made sure to get the car cleaned at least twenty times, stating that the shameful old man could've done God knows what inside of it.

The small voice of his companion reminded Naruto of his whereabouts. Laughing, he reached into his pocket for his car keys to open her side of the door.

"Sorry," Naruto apologized with a slight chuckle, "I can be a little dense sometimes."

"T-that's not true," Hinata disagreed, situating herself in the passenger seat, "You really didn't have to do this Naruto…"

Setting the bags down carefully and returning to the driver's seat Naruto turned towards Hinata with a wide smile.

"I told you, that's just who I am." He laughed.

Feeling the purr of the engine Naruto glanced at the dashboard clock, he had about thirty minutes to become a completely new person in Hinata's eyes, twenty if he included traffic. Gripping the steering wheel the boy held on to his determination, he had accomplished tougher things before, this would be no sweat.

Making his way out of the parking lot, Naruto glanced at Hinata from the corner of his eye, "Where to?" he asked, not exactly sure of where they were heading.

At her silence Naruto slowed down until he came at a complete stop near the exit's curb. Facing his passenger Naruto's bright eyes widened. Hinata was looking through the window as her luminous dark hair cascaded around her face. Her features stayed firmly twisted into one of deep reflection, a wistful vignette.

Naruto couldn't help thinking how pretty she looked despite the bleak display. His mother had been absolutely correct, Hinata really was pretty. How had he never noticed before?

Slipping out of his thoughts Naruto managed to focus, he was falling off track of his goal.

Tapping his classmate on her shoulder Naruto managed to get her attention, turning towards him with reddened cheeks Hinata quickly shifted her iridescent eyes away from his.

"Something wrong Hinata? You seem kind of down." Naruto asked, his eyebrows shooting up in emphasis.

Biting her lip the girl in question clenched her fists, "It's j-just that," She hesitated.

Looking at the young Hyuga inquisitively Naruto motioned his hand for her to continue, "It's just that…what?"

"It's so embarrassing…"

"What are you talking about? What's so embarrassing?"

"My d-destination." She quietly replied, taking to poking her two index fingers together.

At her words Naruto's eyes narrowed in confusion. He had no idea what Hinata was trying to convey to him. Was this her way of telling him she was uncomfortable with the situation?

Suddenly it hit him. Frowning his brows burrowed as his lips formed into a pout.

"You don't want me knowing where you live isn't it?"

At his words Hinata's features contorted with a quizzical expression. "Naruto I don't-"

"It's ok," he interjected, heaving a heavy sigh, "I know you don't like me much."

"I-I what?"

Choosing to wallow in his own self-pity Naruto ignored the confused question of his classmate and rambled on, "I just thought that maybe if I helped you out I could change your mind about me. Not that I don't understand why you would think of me like that because I do! It's just… I thought that if you really gave me a chance we could become really great friends, but it wasn't really right of me to force my agenda on you and I'm really sorry! I thought that if I told you that you wouldn't go along with me so easily. Argh! It's just so frustrating!"

"Why would I dislike you?" Hinata asked, twisting around in her seat to face him properly.

"Why not?" he offered, piercing his azure eyes into her pearly gaze.

Sighing Naruto leaned back in his chair, a humorless laugh escaping his lips. He didn't know why he felt so offended by Hinata probably not liking him. He was used to it. But somehow she was different. The golden haired teen felt like he needed her to like him for some reason.

"I'm not exactly the smartest person," Naruto said, looking down at his own calloused hands, there were times where he had to fight people into acknowledging him, he didn't like having to take that approach.

"I'm loud and nosy and sometimes I tend to rub people the wrong way," he continued, smiling sadly, "It's no secret that I've made a few critics along the way. I just I really don't want you to be one of them."

Clutching his head in his hands Naruto took a deep breath, he wasn't supposed to flip out like that! She probably thought he was an even bigger loser now.

Feeling a light tap the embarrassed teen's head shot up glancing at the hand on his shoulder. Looking up from her dainty fingers Naruto caught Hinata's pointed gaze.

"Naruto," she began, pursing her glossed lips, "I… I don't know where you got that idea from b-but you're wrong!"

"I'm wrong?" he repeated, completely bewildered.

"I don't hate you Naruto," Hinata smiled, "In fact it's sort of the o-opposite..."

"Then why do you avoid me so much?"

At his question her eyes widened, if Naruto could put a name to the expression he would compare it to a deer caught in headlights.

"I…I" she stuttered, choosing to look anywhere but him. Her blush had come back in full force and had now over taken her whole face, resembling a tomato.

Though he didn't exactly know why Hinata was so flustered Naruto couldn't help but think that the expression was quite charming on her face.

"So… you don't hate me?"

"N-never!"

"Then what's with all the secrecy of your destination?" he challenged, narrowing his eyes.

"I told you," Hinata muttered, biting her bottom lip, "It's embarrassing…"

"It can't be that bad!" Naruto countered, startling the girl by grabbing both of her shoulders, "You can tell me anything!"

"You p-promise you won't judge me?"

"I would never judge anyone," Naruto promised his eyes glossing over in conviction, "You can trust me!"

"O-ok…" Hinata smiled.

Realizing he was still gripping onto her shoulders Naruto let go of them swiftly, his hands dropping to his sides. Her shoulders fit so seamlessly into his hands he didn't even notice he still had them in his grasp.

"So ready to tell me?" Naruto awkwardly laughed, absentmindedly scratching his cheek.

"Well," Hinata began, gnawing on her bottom lip once again and drawing Naruto's attention to her lips. They looked really great at the moment, he wondered how they felt.

Shaking his head Naruto tried to center himself, he couldn't let his mind wander towards such vulgar thoughts. His father Minato was right about him spending too much time around his godfather, only Jiraiya would influence his thoughts to become so dirty.

"Please continue!" Naruto quietly pleaded, if he was forced to share such a small space with his classmate any longer he would surely go crazy.

"F-Fine," Hinata relented, "But you have to promise not to laugh at me when we get there."

"I promise." He agreed, putting the car into ignition and moving onto the open road.

"You know that old cake restaurant turned warehouse?" Hinata asked, now fidgeting with the hem of her pink blouse.

"The one we all used to hang out at? Chouza's Cakes?"

"Y-yeah, just bring me there."

Curiously peering over at Hinata, Naruto wondered what on earth she could be doing there with all that milk. The restaurant had belonged to their friend Chouji's father and closed a little over a year ago in favour of them opening a BBQ spot. Soon after their group of friends had all moved on to hanging out at Ichiraku Ramen, Naruto's favourite restaurant.

They drove mostly in silence, Naruto sneaking a peek at his passenger every once in a while. She was dressed sort of cute that day, wearing a pink blouse with bows at either side of her shoulders. The shorts she adorned stopped just above her thighs giving way to long legs, despite her true petite height. Her skin looked like it felt incredibly soft, the ivory colour of it shimmering under the window's light.

Gulping Naruto peeled his surveying eyes away. He was just shamelessly ogling Hinata. Poor sweet innocent Hinata. He really had to stop hanging around Jiraiya, he was practically a pervert now!

Reaching their destination Naruto brought the red car to a stop. The source behind Hinata's strange behaviour was about to be revealed and he was more than excited.

Grinning from ear to ear Naruto quickly made his way out of his car to open Hinata's side of the door, his mother would freak if she found out he neglected to behave like a gentleman.

"My lady." He joked, laughing as he bowed.

Taking Hinata's hands in his he pulled her out of the car to stand in front of him. Her skin felt smoother than he imagined it would, her dainty hand fitting right into his larger one. He didn't know why but a feeling of tranquility washed over him, if he could stand there holding her hand for a while he was sure he would be content.

Glancing down at her much shorter stature Naruto allowed her hands to slip from his hold, instantly missing the warmth of it. Hastily he opened the back door of the car and pulled out the grocery bags, holding them up for Hinata to see.

"Ready?" he asked, staring at her with concern, hopefully she didn't combust into a fumbling mess like he witnessed her do countless times at school.

Staring wistfully at the entrance of the warehouse Hinata fidgeted, "I guess," She sighed.

Naruto watched attentively as Hinata shuffled in front of him, leading the way. Eagerly keeping her step he could feel the anticipation building.

As they got closer Naruto could swear he was hearing the cries of a small animal coming from the warehouse, but that was impossible it was abandoned.

"Well," he thought, glancing over at his nervous classmate, "Not completely."

The closer they got the more prominent the sounds became, enough so that Naruto couldn't deny them anymore. It clearly sounded like an army of meows and they were definitely coming from the warehouse.

Before he could fully ask Hinata if she heard them too she swung open the entrance of the old restaurant, what lied before him almost causing him to drop the bags.

Behind the doors were a plethora of kittens waiting excitedly. At the sight of the two the animals sprang into action purring and rubbing their little heads against both of their legs. Naruto could count at least thirty kittens around them.

"T- That's a lot of cats!" he gawked, amazed at the sheer absurdity of the entire situation.

"Yeah…" Hinata agreed, leaning down to pet the kittens around her.

Suddenly Hinata's large dairy purchase wasn't the strangest thing about his classmate anymore. He had promised her that he wouldn't judge, but he honestly wouldn't have had anything to say regardless.

"Milk huh?" he joked, picking up a small orange kitten by his foot.

He was right, this explanation wasn't believable in the slightest.

* * *

Despite Naruto's good-natured tone, Hinata still couldn't quell the apprehensive feeling that resided in the pit of her stomach. Although this time, the nervousness stemmed from something else. Here she was, in a mostly abandoned warehouse with the boy she's been crushing on since elementary school.

How could she not get butterflies in her stomach at the thought of being alone with him?

And it certainly wasn't helping that as she watched Naruto hold the orange in his strong arms, gently scratching behind his ear as his azure eyes looked at the purring cat with such tenderness, she could feel a surge of warmth through her chest. It certainly was hard to keep her eyes off Uzumaki Naruto.

Hinata always thought him to be handsome, with his chiseled jawline, infectious smile, and his unique set of whisker marks that adorned his face. Paired with the carefree, easygoing he possessed, Uzumaki Naruto was someone that Hinata always found herself drawn to.

Lavender eyes lingered on him for a moment longer before the kitten she'd been giving attention to before let out a sort of high-pitched mewl, begging for her attention. The tiniest blush crept on her face when she realized that she'd been staring for way too long as she busied herself with the little brown and white kitten by her feet.

"They um… they go through milk so fast," Hinata spoke quietly as she moved to fill the empty tin bowls she'd purchased some time ago. "This is the second time I've had to do shopping this week."

Naruto gently set the orange kitten in his arms down on the ground and watched it scurry over to one of the bowls that Hinata filled with milk. "So, how long have you been doing this?"

She remembered the first time she passed by the abandoned factory. It was the day she was feeling particularly down about not being able to hold a decent conversation with Naruto, funnily enough. Her voice, drowned out by her peers, wasn't able to reach him, and she couldn't muster up enough courage to tap him on the shoulder and start a conversation.

Hinata had decided to take the long way home to clear her head, and that was when she heard the crying of that same orange kitten that seemed to take quite a liking to Naruto. At first, he was the only kitten there, and Hinata thought she'd be able to feed him that day and take him to a shelter the next.

When she came back for him the next day, there had been four more waiting to be fed. Each day, the quantity of cats kept increasing, and Hinata found herself buying two or three cartons of milk every three or four days.

Although she felt as if she'd been doing this forever, if she considered today's date… "F-for a little over a month, now that I think about it," Hinata said.

"That long!?" Naruto cried. "Why didn't you ask for help? I would've helped out if I'd known that!"

"Um… I didn't think anyone would believe me…" Hinata gave a small sigh before she caught the way that Naruto's eyes had softened at the sight of her. Her hear rate sped up at least two times faster as he moved to crouch next to her. He shook the carton in his hand briefly before opening it, and pored milk into one of the empty cat bowls as more kittens toppled over themselves to eat.

A low, yet comforting chuckle escaped him, and Hinata couldn't help but eye him with curiosity before he turned to face her. The corners of his lips had been pulled into a smile she had yet to see before. It wasn't as wide and bright as his usual ones. No, this one had a calming aura about it.

"I do," he spoke quietly, "and I wouldn't mind coming back here with you to feed the cats."

Her eyes widened in surprise. Naruto wanted to come back here? With her? Shaking off her initial shock, Hinata gave a somber smile. "Y-you don't have to do that… I know you're busy with club activities at school, a-and then you also help out at the grocery store too, so you really don't–"

"But I want to," Naruto said suddenly, startling her quite a bit when he reached for her hand that gently rested on her lap. He did it again. He held her hand again. They were large and callous, a sign of all the hard work he's ever done.

They're as warm as they are comforting, and with the way his blue eyes peered into her opalescent ones, Hinata was sure her heart would burst at any moment.

"Taking care of all these kittens on your own must be tough, right?" He grinned. "It'll be easier to take care of them together. And besides…" Naruto trailed off, sheepishly scratching the side of his cheek with his index finger, "it'll give us the chance to spend more time together."

"T-together?" Hinata questioned, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks.

Suddenly, Naruto quickly retracted his hand from her own, probably realizing how intimate this whole thing was. "Uh, yeah! I mean, only if you want to, of course…" Hinata wasn't really sure if she'd ever seen a pop of color on Naruto's whiskered cheeks before.

It was rather endearing – so much so that she couldn't help the gentle laugh that escaped past her lips. That's when Hinata saw how quickly Naruto's face grew a shade darker, and despite her bout of laughter, she managed to shake her head.

"I… I'm not laughing at you," she giggled. "I've just never seen you so flustered. U-usually, I'm the one who's always so nervous."

"Yeah, why is that?" Naruto asked in all seriousness and Hinata mentally cursed herself for starting up a conversation that they'd left behind in his car. It was when she began to play with the hem of her shirt that Naruto let out a small laugh. "I get it, you don't wanna tell me. I won't make you."

That's not true, Hinata thought to herself. I want to tell you, but I'm such a coward.

"So, do you have names for all these cats?" Naruto asked, taking Hinata's mind off of their previous subject.

Names? "I couldn't possibly name all 30 of them, Naruto," she laughed.

Naruto picked up the same orange cat that found himself sitting right by Naruto's feet when he first walked in. "Well, we can start now. I want to name this little guy Kurama."

"Kurama?" Hinata parroted. "Why's that?"

"Dunno. He just looks like a Kurama, doesn't he?" Naruto beamed as he pushed his face up on the kitten. Although the kitten, excuse her, that would be Kurama now, donned his usual jaded look, he made no fuss to get out of Naruto's hold.

Hinata gave a laugh.

All of a sudden, talking to Naruto just felt natural to her. The nervousness that once plagued her had washed away, and there was a kind of easiness and fluidity to their conversation. Hinata wasn't sure how long they had spent playing with the cat before Naruto cried out, "Crap! I'm late!"

"L-late for what?" Hinata asked frantically.

"I'm on break, but I was supposed to be back 20 minutes ago!" Naruto cried. "Augh, my mom's gonna kill me! She'll think I was just goofing off!"

Hinata bit down on her bottom lip, feeling guilty for all of this. It was her fault that all of this had happened. Of course he was on break, why else would he have gone to the back room? To ask his manager for permission of course.

"What if I explain the situation?" Hinata asked. "You were only doing this out of kindness. A-at least let me tell her that you were only trying to help me."

"You're so nice, Hinata," he laughed. "You don't need to do all that for me. Besides, this is our secret now, isn't it?"

Hinata was sure she'd melt at the wink that accompanied the end of his sentence. Still, he wouldn't shake her resolve with his easygoing smile. "N-no! I don't want you to get in trouble because of me!" she huffed, and Naruto looked at her with just a hint of astonishment, Hinata wondered if she was a little too aggressive.

Then he smiled. "Heh, well alright then."

It wasn't until the two of them entered his car that Naruto had given her this look (of what? She couldn't tell) before he said, "You're so interesting, y'know?"

"Wh-what do you mean?" she asked timidly.

"It's just that, when you get that look of determination on your face, you're like a different person," he said. "And when you're playing with the cats, you look different too. I thought, 'this isn't the Hinata I know' but now that I think about it a little more, maybe I just don't know the real you. I'd like to though."

At that point, Hinata wasn't sure what to say to him. It was as if she was overheating and ready to shut down. And then, for some unearthly reason, the words, "A-aren't you late?" left her lips and Naruto scrambled to put his key into the ignition.

"Ah, you're right! I forgot!" he cried, as he sped off in the direction of the supermarket. They sat in silence for the entire ride, mostly because Hinata was internally berating herself for that silly response to even attempt to hold a conversation with him right now.

As soon as they entered the grocery store, Kushina was just finishing up with her last customer before dark blue eyes landed on Naruto. Hinata watched as they narrowed at him, only to widen when they fell on her. "You brought your friend back?" she asked, a bit surprised.

"U-um, Miss Uzumaki, I'm so sorry for keeping Naruto so long!" she cried, and gave a respectful bow. "He was only trying to help, and everything took way more time than expected, s-so…"

Just then, Kushina's bubbly laughter broke out, startling her and Naruto from what she could tell. "Aww, how can I stay upset when you're just so sweet? Tell me, what took you two so long anyway?"

When the two of them couldn't answer, Naruto's mother let out another bout of laughter. "Hah! I see how it is."

"Wha? Mom, it's not like that!" Naruto cried. Hinata felt as if her soul had just ascended from her body. This was truly embarrassing.

"Now, now Naruto. Relax," Kushina said. "I'm only teasing. You tell your… friend goodbye. It is your turn to handle the register, after all." With that, his mother disappeared into the backroom as Naruto desperately tried to tell his mother about how wrong she was, but to no avail.

He gave a small sigh. "I'm really sorry, Hinata. She's always like this…"

"N-no, no. It's okay, honestly…" she paused momentarily. "Um… you have work now, a-and I should probably head home right now, so…" As she moved to leave, his hand grabbed hers in an attempt to stop her, and it was rather successful.

Slowly, she turned to face him, and as much as she hated it, it was then that he let go of her hand. "I was serious when I said I wanted to know the real you."

Once again, Hinata played with the hem of her shirt. It was somewhat of a nervous tic. "Wh-what… um, how would you do that?"

"Well, I'm free tomorrow. Maybe after we visit the kittens, we could go out somewhere? Just you n' me?" he suggested.

"Y-you mean like a date?" Hinata blurted out before slapping her hands over her mouth. What was wrong with her!? Why would she say something like that to him!? "I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to imply–"

"It's okay! You don't have to apologize for it," Naruto cut in. "I… wouldn't mind calling it that. Unless you do."

Never in a million years would she mind a date with Naruto. With a coy smile, Hinata said, "I don't mind either."

"Perfect!" he grinned. "It's a date then!"

Just hearing Naruto call their outing a date sent a wave of butterflies through her stomach. A date, Hinata thought with a smile. She could hardly wait.


End file.
